Scarlet Shores
by superwoman1015
Summary: Years after leaving the CBI the team reunites to hunt Red John one more time.  Written for the Jello Forever Big bang.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **This was written for the Jello Forever Big Bang. Thanks to autumnftw for the beta. Total word count is just over 11,000 words in 10 chapters and an epilogue. Check out jello forever for more awesome fics and art done specifically for this fic.

**Chapter 1**

He walked along the beach. The team had been called in by the local police, who had shown up at the scene of a grisly murder to find that horrible smiley face on the wall. He knew that Lisbon had been the one to call them. It had come through the channels of course, but he knew she was the one who made the decision to call them in.

He hadn't seen her in over four years, although she still sent Christmas and birthday cards; she sent them to everyone.

She had left the CBI suddenly, saying she wanted to get away from the horror and pain that came with every case. She went into private security, consulting for big firms in Southern California. She said that she had always loved the beach and would be glad to be near it. A few years later, he'd heard from Van Pelt that she'd grown tired of the boring life of a security consultant and had gone to work for the police department in Seagull, a small coastal town North of Las Angles.

Rigsby left the CBI about a year after Lisbon. He'd finally manned up enough to tell Van Pelt how he felt about her, and now they were married with two children—two-and-a-half-year-old twins; one boy and one girl—and Rigsby was the stay-at-home dad. He ran a private investigation firm out of their house, but only picked up one or two clients at a time. He said it was a hobby, something to keep him busy and sane in between Dora the Explorer and Handy Manny.

Cho was still there, he could have made the position of Senior Agent by now if he wanted to, but he didn't want the pressure and the politics that come with being the boss. He was content to just sit back and enjoy solving all of the cases, with Jane's help of course.

And here he was, just walking along the beach, still trying to find Red John. That's why they were in Seagull in the first place. They had arrived very early this morning, having taken the red eye flight from Sacramento to LA and driving the 50's miles to the small town. Rigsby was driving the whole way with the kids; he and Van Pelt were supposed to be starting their vacation in three days anyway, so he decided to just get a head start as the team was already going to be there.

When the team got to the crime scene that morning—a large house in what had a tone time been an up and coming subdivision just outside Seagull—he was surprised that Lisbon wasn't there waiting for them; he knew that she knew they were coming. Instead, some up-and-coming junior detective was waiting to show them in while the crime scene investigators were still collecting evidence. He had noticed a bloody footprint in the front entry way.

"_Normally we handle all of our own cases, or get help from one of the bigger cities," the junior detective said. "My name's Johnson by the way. The boss said we needed to call you the second that she saw the wall here."_

_They walked upstairs to the bedroom, and there on the wall to greet them was a smiley face painted in dripping blood. Different than the numerous other faces they'd seen over the years—almost as if the artist had been interrupted—the smile was only half formed, the circle less than perfect. Jane felt himself being pulled in, drawn by the almost hypnotic power that these faces held for him. He let the memories wash over him, to remind him why it was that he was here, why he had kept this quest for vengeance for so long._

"_Jane!" Van Pelt's voice startled him, and he looked around at the rest of the room._

"_There were two bodies," said Johnson, "You can see where they were; one here on the bed, laid out—the boss called it 'Red John style'—and the second was here on the floor."_

_The team looked where Johnson was pointing and noticed the outline of where the body had been on the floor in a pool of blood._

"_The second victim—" started Van Pelt._

"_The husband," interjected Johnson._

"_The husband," Van Pelt continued with a smile at the eager detective, "Was he cut up also?"_

"_No, just a single stab wound to the abdomen. He bled to death."_

"_He surprised him," Jane spoke up for the first time. "Red John wasn't expecting him to come home."_

"_The neighbor did say that the husband was supposed to be out of town for the week, but he must have come back early," reported Johnson._

"_Who called it in?" asked Van Pelt._

"_The same neighbor who told us the husband was supposed to be out of town. She told us that the front door and the door to the husband's car were both left open, like he meant to come back out to the car and get something. Apparently it was like that for a few hours, and the neighbor got suspicious, so she came over to check on them and saw the footprint by the front door. That's when she called 911 at about 10:00 last night."_

_As they talked, Jane paced around the room, looking to see if there was anything obviously out of place, anything that didn't look like a typical Red John case, because this was anything but typical. Besides the two victims, there were signs of an obvious struggle._

"_The husband must have caught him in the act of painting the smiley face, and they got into a struggle." Jane was staring at the small pieces of jewelry and loose change scattered across the floor by the dresser and the bloody outline of the husband's body. "Tell me, Johnson, did the husband have any defensive wounds on his body?"_

"_Uh... I-I don't know," the junior detective stammered, "We could find out. The coroner's report isn't due for another few days—they're really backed up at the morgue, we have to send it into the county coroner, they handle a lot of cases."_

"_We'll speak to our boss and see if we can get them to speed up the autopsy any." Van Pelt broke into the conversation to put the young man at ease. "What do you think Jane? Do you think Red John might have been injured when he struggled with the husband?"_

"_Maybe. Now, Johnson," Jane continued as if Van Pelt had never spoken, "where is your boss today?"_

"_Uh... it's her day off, sir." Johnson looked around, obviously nervous by the way Jane was questioning him. He was still new at being the man in charge. In fact, he'd never had to be the one in charge before today._

"_She took the day off after a serial killer attacked when she was the person in charge?"_

"_Uh, yes... this is always her day off. She doesn't even come into the field that often, but the regular guy was sick, so she came in last night when she heard what the beat cops were saying over the radio. She's the one that said we should call you."_

"_And where might I find her if I needed to speak with her?" Jane stepped right into Johnson's personal space, ignoring his attempts to back away._

"_She, uh, she'll be in tomorrow, but I think she was planning on spending today at home."_

"_And where might that home be?" He was right up in his face now, having backed the young man up against the wall._

"_Uh," Johnson stuttered, his voice cracking, "can you take a step back? I'm, uh, not really comfortable right now."_

_Jane looked surprised at how close they were and gave Johnson a friendly smile. "Of course," he said taking a step backward._

"_Do you want to come with me to talk to the neighbors, see if any of them saw or heard anything, Jane?" asked Van Pelt. _

"_Ah, no. Tell me, when is Rigsby going to be getting here?"_

"_Not until this evening. It's about an eight hour drive, and he has the kids with him, so probably around 9:00 tonight."_

"_Where is he going to stay?"_

"_Just with some friends—same place we always stay. It's a house right on the beach."_

"_Beach... that sounds like a good idea. Where would you recommend?"_

"_The beach just about a mile from the hotel is the one that we usually visit when we're here, there a few privet homes on the beach there, but it's still public. It's not usually crowded because of the homes."_

_Jane smiled in a way that usually meant he was up to something, and said, "Thank you very much." He left with Van Pelt standing there trying to figure out what had just happened._


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: **Pretty sure I told a bunch of you that Iw as going to post this last night. Oops, I fell asleep. You know how it is. Anyway, enjoy.

**Chapter 2**

So now here he was, walking along the beach. He had known that Rigsby and Van Pelt took their family vacation to Seagull each year and that they stayed with Lisbon, but he had not known exactly where she lived. He had her address, of course, but he was not familiar with the town, and had no idea where to start—oh, he could have figured it out, but finding out from Van Pelt was much more fun.

He figured that he could have just driven directly to her house, but he didn't want to. Instead, he decided to park at the far end of the beach, near a rock cliff and walk to her house. He was enjoying the feel of the sand between his toes; he held his shoes in his hand and had taken off his jacket. The smell of the salt air enlivened his senses and cleared the cobwebs from his mind.

He couldn't imagine how Lisbon had found the money to live in one of the houses he was now walking by. While some of them were small, the location was fabulous, and he knew it must cost a small fortune. He knew he was getting close_—_he had seen a picture of Lisbon on the beach side of her house once. It was from one of Rigsby and Van Pelt's vacations to Seagull. Lisbon had been playing in the sand with the twins. She had looked beautiful. The wind blowing her hair, a slight tan, and the bathing suit she was wearing had fit her just right and accentuated her curves just_—_he stopped himself there. He was not coming to see her for that; she was a friend and nothing more.

With just a few more houses to go, he saw a little girl of about three, maybe four at the most, sitting in front of a fence. She was playing in the sand with a bucket and shovel, a mop of golden brown curls on top of her head, perhaps bleached a little lighter by the sun. She was wearing a thin, white, cotton sundress as a cover up for her swim suit. It was pink, this much he could tell by that parts of the fabric showing through the dress. She reminded him of his own daughter, and for a moment he almost couldn't move, but he pulled himself together and kept walking. As he got closer, he could see her face_—_it was a face he thought he recognized, but he knew that he had never seen this girl before. She looked so familiar, and those eyes... her brilliant green eyes.

He stopped and squatted down in the sand in front of her. "Hi there, what's your name?" he asks with a smile.

"Mama says not to talk to strangers, and never give them your name," the small girl replied with amazing clarity for someone so young.

"My name is Patrick Jane." He said back, still trying to earn her trust.

"That's like my name!" The little girl looked up and smiled at him in an excited way. His heart felt like it was going to stop.

Just then a voice called from inside the house, "Janie? Janie, where are you? Your mom is going to kill me!" A young woman walked out the back door of the house that the small fence surrounded and stood there with her hands on her hips, "Janie! You know you're not supposed to be on that side of the fence unless one of us is with you!"

"Sammy, I met a new friend! He has the same name as me. His name is Jane, too!" the little girl told her babysitter excitedly.

Jane stood up and offered the young woman his hand. "Hello, I'm Patrick Jane. And who has the pleasure of taking care of such a sweet little girl?" asked Jane, pulling out his most hypnotizing smile.

The young woman smiled back, shaking his hand before replying. "I'm Samantha, but everyone calls me Sammy. And this little beach bug," Sammy reached over the fence and picked up the girl, tickling her tummy in the process and causing her to laugh, "is Amelia Jane, but everyone calls her Janie. She's a smart little one."

"She does seem that way. How old is she?"

"I'm three, but my birthday is next week on Tuesday. Uncle Wayne and Aunt Grace and Cousin Hope and Cousin Wyatt are going to be here and they're comin' today!" Janie inserted in one breath.

Jane knew that he had the right house, but there was no way that this little girl could be Lisbon's daughter. For starters, that would have to mean that she had been pregnant when she left the CBI, and he hadn't noticed. He noticed everything_—_or at least that's what he told people. Did she really say her name was Amelia Jane?

He was still standing there when the door opened once again, and the same woman he had just been thinking about walked out the back door. "Sammy, I need you to keep an eye on Janie for me for a few more hours. The team from Sacramento is here, and the lead investigator is throwing a stink because they lost someone or something or…"

She trailed off as she looked and finally saw Jane standing there on the other side of the fence. He was smiling at her just like he used to, and her insides turned to jelly. Lisbon just stood there, staring at him for what seemed like forever. Sammy was starting to get uncomfortable and was about to say something when Jane spoke up.

"Hey, Lisbon. How, how have you been?"

She seemed to snap out of her trance with the sound of his voice. "I'm fine... what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you; I'm in town for a case. You know about that; you're the one that had us called in."

"You know that's not what I mean." She seemed ready to say more, but suddenly seemed to remember that there were other people there. "Sammy, this is Patrick Jane. Jane, this is Sammy... my babysitter."

"We met," Jane interrupted, "she was introducing me to this little lady here," he said, smiling at Janie.

"Fine," she said, almost resigned to the fact that she was going to have to introduce them. "This is Amelia Jane Lisbon, but we all just call her Janie."

"I was named for my grandma!" Janie put in suddenly.

Jane could tell that Lisbon was still distracted, but before he could call it to her attention, she turned to Sammy, "Can you take Janie to dance class today? I've got some work to do."

"Sure thing, Teresa. Come on, Janie, let's go grab your bag and go. We don't want to be late." She held her hand out for Janie, and they went into the house to get ready to leave.

"So…" Jane started, still standing with his hands in his pockets on the other side of the fence, "are you going to ask me to come in?"

"I suppose... I have to call my boss and tell him I found you anyway." She walked off into the house, leaving the door open as if she expected him to follow.

The house was dark compared to the outside, and Jane was just getting accustomed to the dimmer light when Lisbon asked, "Want anything to drink?"

"Water would be fine, thanks."

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," she gestured toward the living room, visible through the kitchen doorway, "I'll be out in a minute."

He simply nodded and walked into the living room, taking a look around at the available options for seating. There was a large papasan chair that he would guess was Sammy's, a large overstuffed sofa that looked well used, and a modest-sized Lay-Z-Boy recliner. Thinking quickly, he sat in the recliner, knowing that it would have been Lisbon's choice of seats. He wanted to keep her off guard as much as possible, although it wasn't going to be difficult from the way she had been acting so far. He reclined the chair slightly and sat back with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lisbon was on the phone in the kitchen, hoping that Jane was not listening, but at the same time expecting him to. Over four years, _four years_, since she'd seen him, and he still had this effect on her. She could barely breathe, her heart was pounding, and she even felt a bit lightheaded.

"I think I found what you were looking for, Sheriff." she said into the phone.

"Really?" the voice on the other side questioned.

"Yeah, he showed up at my house looking for me."

"How did you know we were looking for a person?"

"Just a lucky guess. I've worked with him before."

"I don't know... I think the person we're looking for is a woman. The 'man in charge' of the team keeps screaming 'Where is Jane?' at the top of his lungs at the poor, unfortunate redhead."

"Really? Let me talk to this guy."

"Okay, but it's your funeral. He seems pretty mad." There was a muffled rustling sound and she could hear the sheriff telling whoever was in charge of the team that he had a phone call.

"What?" a voice spit into the phone.

She couldn't help but laugh a little at the exasperation in his voice. "Hello, this is Lieutenant Lisbon. I'm the one that called you in on this case. I know that the team has a personal interest in Red John, and it's my opinion that this is a Red John case."

"That's great, Lieutenant, but I'm in a bit of a rush right now. Can we speed this up? I'm missing Jane."

"He's not missing; he's sitting in my living room. Did you try to call him?"

"He never answers the phone. How did he get to your house?"

"He walked, though I'm pretty sure he drove most of the way. Maybe you should try being a little nicer to the team, and he might answer your phone calls. He only doesn't answer if he doesn't like you, Mister...?"

"Marley, Jacob Marley, and I don't know what you're talking about." Lisbon could hear the superior attitude coming through in his voice. It was already starting to get on her nerves.

"Can I talk to Grace Van Pelt please?" She asked with what she hoped sounded like respect.

"Whatever," Marley grunted in response. She heard more rustling and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge as she waited for Van Pelt to get on the phone.

"Hello?" a familiar voice questioned on the other line.

"Grace, how are you?

"Just wonderful," Van Pelt responded. Lisbon could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah, I can tell. Is that guy always such a jerk?"

"Yeah. It hasn't really been the same since you left, but none of us want to leave."

"Tell me what's going on with the case."

"We're pretty sure it's Red John. And by we, I mean Jane, Cho, and I. The boss man doesn't really think it's him. We're checking all of the hospitals in the county and neighboring counties to see if anyone with a knife wound was brought in, but we keep striking out."

"I've got Jane here-"

Van Pelt cut her off, "I told Marley he would turn up, and he got mad because I wouldn't call him. I told him not to worry; Jane always turns up eventually."

"I know, but I have to go. Tell Wayne to give me a call when he gets close so I can make sure I'm here."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Grace. And good luck with your boss!" she added with a laugh and hung up, hearing Van Pelt muttering in the background.

Lisbon slid her cell phone back into her pocket and stood in the kitchen holding the bottles of water in her hands. There was no use avoiding it; she had to go in there and talk to him. Knowing him, he was probably sitting in her favorite chair, and he would expect her to make a stink about it. She got together all of the courage she could and walked into the next room.

The first thing she saw was that Jane was, indeed, sitting in her favorite chair. The next thing she noticed was that his habit of dozing off in inappropriate places seemed to have remained the same.

"You're sitting in my chair," she said without warning, knowing that he probably knew she was here already. "Your boss is a prick, by the way. Is he always like that, or just when you go AWOL?"

"No," Jane answered, not bothering with opening his eyes, "he's always like that. Although if he yells at Van Pelt one more time, he's going to have to worry about Rigsby going medieval on him."

Lisbon smiled at that and sat down on the sofa next to Jane. "Water's on the coffee table if you want it." She paused, thinking of what to say and wishing that he would open his eyes.

"Thanks," he responded, finally opening his eyes as he sat back up and grabbed a bottle. He took a swig and swallowed, than gave Lisbon one of his ice-melting smiles. "Good water."

Lisbon was suddenly mad. How dare he come into her home and make her feel all out of sorts like this? "Cut the crap, Jane. Why are you here?"

"Honestly?" Lisbon just looked at him. "Okay. Well, I'm not really sure. I've missed you, and when I heard that you had called us, I thought that I was going to be able to see you, but you weren't there. I knew where you lived_—_you always send me Christmas cards_—_so I decided to come see you."

Lisbon glared at him. "You missed me? You never call, you never write_—_do you know how many times Van Pelt and Rigsby have come to see me? And Cho; he's here at least once a year, even if it's just for a day. You could have come, too."

"Really, I don't think it would have been as easy as that." He paused for a minute, and then quickly asked, "Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?"

"It never seemed important." Jane noticed that she was sitting more upright now, as if getting ready to run away.

He decided to ask the next question, even though he knew what the answer was going to be. "Who's her father?" he asked quietly.

Lisbon sighed and fell back into the sofa, "Just a drunken one night stand."

Jane was moving now, coming to sit by her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have made a difference?"

He was taken aback by her question. "Of course_-_"

She cut him off. "Really? Would you have given up on your quest? Given up your all-consuming need for revenge? You still get that look in your eye whenever anyone mentions Red John, or your wife, or your daughter. That look of hatred and guilt..." She was on a roll now, getting up to pace around the room. "You never think about anyone but yourself. I couldn't risk that! I almost told you. But then I found out that I was having a girl, and I just couldn't bare that look on your face. So no, I didn't tell you. I left. I never told the others not to tell you, but I guess they just assumed that you either already knew, or didn't care."

She was shaking, and tears were threatening at the corners of her eyes. Jane just sat there, almost as if he was in shock. How had he not known that all of this was buried inside? He used to be able to read her at the drop of a hat.

"You still never told me."

"I couldn't do that to her. Not with knowing what you were planning to do_—_are _still_ planning on doing."

Jane seemed to recover from his shock, moving to stand in front of her. He pulled her into a hug and just stood there holding her. He smoothed his hand over her hair and laid his cheek on the top of her head. He started to kiss the top of her head, and moved down to kiss her temple, then her cheek.

"Jane_—_ " Lisbon started.

"Shh." He bent down to capture her lips in a kiss. It was tender and sweet, and Lisbon responded to him almost immediately, moving in closer. Almost before it even started, she broke away, turning around and pulling out of his arms.

"I can't," she said.

"Why not? Nothing's stopping you."

"I…I'm," she stammered, "I'm seeing someone right now. It's kind of serious."

Jane stood there looking stunned for a moment, but managed to hide it by the time she turned around to look at him. "Really? How long?"

"About a year and a half. I met him at a convention in town for law enforcement and attorneys."

"He's a lawyer?"

"Yes, he is."

Jane just stood there, looking at her until he heard the kitchen door open, and a voice called out.

"Honey, are you here? I saw your car, but I didn't know if you would have taken Janie to dance."

"Yeah," Lisbon called out to the kitchen, "I'm in here."

A man walked into the room and smiled at her, but stopped when he saw Jane. "I see you have company."

"Uh, yeah. Honey, this is Patrick Jane. Jane, this is Donald Marvo, my boyfriend. Don, Jane is on the special team that was called in to investigate the call I was on last night."

Jane swiftly walked up to him and went to shake his hand. Don removed his right hand from his pocket, and Jane grasped it with both of his, holding on for a bit longer than was necessary. Jane looked him over while shaking his hand_; _he was of average build, slightly shorter than himself, thin hair that at some point was probably brown, but now was much lightened with gray, and pale, watery blue eyes. "How are you?" He asked, still grasping his hand.

"Fine, thank you." Don wary with a slight nervous tone to his voice.

"How did you meet Lisb_—_" Jane started to ask, but was cut off by the same woman poking him in the stomach and loudly hissing his name.

Jane released his hand and looked at Lisbon sheepishly, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. "It was nice to meet you, Don, but I really should be going. Van Pelt has been holding off the tiger long enough. It's time I go and take the pressure off." He nodded good bye to Don and turned to Lisbon. "Would you walk me out?"

"Sure." She walked toward the back door, the same way he had come in, and Jane followed, putting his hand on the small of her back to guide her.

When they got to the door, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "When he proposes to you in just a minute, do me a favor and tell him you have to think about it."

Lisbon stepped back and looked at him like he was crazy. "How… what…"

"He was playing with something box shaped in his pocket. He's incredibly nervous, more than he should be at coming home to find you standing in the living room with a colleague, and you admitted yourself that it was a serious relationship." He smiled at her. "Please just promise that you won't say yes right away."

"You don't have any right to make that request."

"Don't I?" He asked, looking at her with his eyebrows raised. Then he turned and walked out the back door toward the beach, leaving her standing there staring after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **Meant to post this during class today, but imagine that, I actually paid attention. Thanks to everyone who read this and my other update i posted recently.

**Chapter 4**

Jane walked up the steps of the sheriff's office to the room the team had been given to use during their investigation. He knew that Marley would not be happy to see him. He never was, but that was okay. He knew that they were close this time. He could hear the boss yelling before he even entered the room.

"How do we even know that this is a real Red John case? Haven't you all been fooled by copy cats before?" He was really going at it. As he got closer, Jane could see that he was pacing back and forth while yelling at Van Pelt and Cho, both of whom looked like they were about to lose it themselves.

"Because Lisbon would never have called us if she thought it was a fake." Jane interjected, coming up behind the boss and startling him into stopping mid-rant.

"Oh yeah?" Marley sneered, "How do you know that?"

"She would never risk me coming here any other way. She's been so desperate to keep her life private that she would never involve me unless she thought it was absolutely necessary."

The look Van Pelt gave him was one that he recognized as exacerbation with Jane for thinking everything was always about himself, but this time she knew he was right; it really was about him.

"You know the woman that called us in?"

"Yeah, she's our old boss," Cho said.

"Fine then. What did you learn while you were out on your little field trip?"

Jane went over and sat behind a desk, leaning back in the chair and turning slightly so that he was facing Cho and Van Pelt more than the boss. "Not much regarding the case, but I did learn some very interesting things besides." He looked directly at both Van Pelt and Cho and noticed that neither of them would look him in the eye.

"Well _we_ were busy doing actual work," Marley remarked.

"I know, looking at all of the local hospitals for stabbing victims. Tell me, are we looking for everyone that had a stab wound? Even those who don't come in as John Does?"

"No, why would we do that?"

"He was injured badly enough to lose a good deal of blood, but not badly enough that he was unable to walk steadily when he left the house. He was probably able to give information to the hospital. What we need to be looking for is anyone that comes in with a stab wound, both here and in LA."

"Do you really think that we need to check in LA?"

"Yes, I do. We've run into him there before, and I wouldn't be surprised if he knew we were looking for him. He probably chose to do the murders here now because he knew that Lisbon would be the one called in."

"How would he know that?" jeered the boss.

"Easy! The detective that was supposed to be on last night made it no secret that he was going on vacation this week, or that his boss was going to be covering for him if anything came up. Lisbon has lived here for over four years. It wouldn't be hard to know where she lived_—_she does file taxes, and she owns both a car and a house. Really, it wouldn't be that hard to figure out."

"All this, just to get you here?"

"Yes." Jane said simply, but with confidence.

"Whatever. I suppose I could ask the local PD to recheck the hospitals again, and to expand the search to see if we could get the help of the officers in other areas."

"Wonderful. Now, I need to talk to Van Pelt and Cho in private if you don't mind." said Jane, dismissing Marley. He rolled his eyes and walked away.

Jane waited until he was out of sight before he turned to Cho and Van Pelt. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"Tell you what?" Cho asked in his usual dead pan.

"You know what. How often did you come here to visit Lisbon, Cho?"

"Maybe once a year since she left."

"And you, Van Pelt?"

"At least twice a year."

"So it would be fair to say that you knew that she had a daughter, and that you didn't tell me?" Jane was trying to control his anger, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"We thought you knew," Van Pelt said quietly.

"What?" Jane was confused.

"She was pregnant when she left. It was obvious_. _She was already starting to show_—_you know how thin she is. We just thought that you knew, and didn't care."

Jane was in shock. How had he missed that? He always saw everything, and yet, he missed one of the most important things. Is that why she had left so quickly after…

"Alright, _Mister_ Jane," the boss came back into the room, interrupting his thoughts. "We have expanded the search, and have come up with a few leads already. Would you like to check them out?"

"Of course. Why don't Van Pelt and Cho go together, and I'll give our old friend Lisbon a call and see if she can come with me."

"I am the leader here, Jane."

"I know; I just do it better." He smirked and walked off, cell phone to his ear.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Lisbon was still standing in the kitchen; she hadn't moved since Jane left. She hated how he could always leave her off center. She hadn't felt this way in... well, since she left Sacramento. And now, he wanted her to say no to a marriage proposal she wasn't even expecting.

"Teresa!" Don called from the living room. She could hear him moving and knew he was headed for the kitchen. She quickly composed herself and turned away from the door. She had to have some reason for being in here so long, so she grabbed a glass and opened the door to the refrigerator. "There you are! What are you doing?" asked Don, coming into the kitchen.

"Oh, nothing. Just getting something to drink." She said, coming back out of the fridge.

"Milk?" He asked, looking at her glass.

She hadn't even noticed what she had filled the glass with. "Um, yeah, I was thinking about having a little snack, maybe some cookies. I have some Oreos I'm hiding from Sammy and Janie."

"Okay." He didn't seem to believe her, but she didn't care.

"Do you want some?" She asked, holding up the package of cookies before grabbing a few and putting the package back in the cupboard.

"No thanks. Why don't we go sit back down in the living room?"

"Okay," Teresa responded. She set the milk and cookies on the counter in the kitchen, not really wanting them in the first place.

She nervously followed him into the living room. She was nervous. What Jane had said had put her on edge, and she wasn't sure what she would do if Don really did ask her to marry him.

"Are you okay, Honey? You seem a little distracted."

"I'm just a little preoccupied with this case. It's one that I've been working on for the past ten years."

"You were working for the CBI then, weren't you?"

"Yeah, that's how I know the team that came down to investigate. I was the senior agent over the team that always worked these cases. I got to know Red John like the back of my own hand, so I knew who it was the second I walked into that house last night. I'm just distracted by it, that's all."

"So your friends Grace and Wayne were on the team too?"

"Yea. It was me, Kimball, Grace, and Wayne. Jane was just a consultant_—_still is, as far as I know."

"He's the one that was here earlier? Why hasn't he ever come to visit? Everyone else has."

"Jane just doesn't care about pleasantries and keeping up with old friends. He's much too self-centered for that."

Don chuckled. "Seems like a real charmer."

"At least until you get to know him." Lisbon mumbled under her breath. She sank into the sofa and pulled Don down next to her. She relaxed into his arms, trying to forget about Jane and all of his antics. "So, what are you up to today?"

"Nothing really. I just thought I'd come by and see the loves of my life. I missed one, but you're here." He pulled her close and kissed her.

"That's very sweet." She was waiting. Was he going to ask her or not?

"So, when is Janie's next recital?" He was stalling, she could tell, but she wasn't going to push.

"Next week. Grace, Wayne, and the twins will be here for it." She was finally relaxing. Just sitting and talking was really what she needed; not having to worry about keeping face.

They sat there for about an hour talking about everything, from Janie's dancing to Don's latest client. Lisbon had even almost forgotten about what Jane had said about Don proposing. They were sitting in comfortable silence now, and Lisbon was fine with that.

"Teresa." Don said, pulling back from her and turning so that she could look him in the face.

_Oh, boy. This is it._ "Yeah, Don?" She asked.

"Teresa," he slid off the sofa and knelt in front of her on the floor. "Will you marry me?"

"Don-" she started. Before she could answer, the front door opened and Jane walked in.

"Lisbon, are you still here?" He walked further into the room and noticed Don kneeling on the floor. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"Yes," said Don. He looked back at Lisbon expectantly. "Well, what do you say?"

She looked at Jane for a moment. The look in his eyes was begging her not to say yes—she already knew his thoughts on the subject. She turned back to look at Don and smiled. "Of course I'll marry you."

She leaned in to give Don a hug, glancing at Jane out of the corner of her eye. For a brief second, she thought she saw a disappointed look on his face, but it lasted for such a short time, she could have almost imagined it.

"Congratulations, you two." Jane said. "I hate to break up this lovely moment, Lisbon, but I was wondering if I could get you to come with me to check out a few leads at the local hospital."

"You could have called," she said, standing up.

"What, and miss this happy occasion? Never." He grinned at her. "So, what do you say?"

Lisbon looked over at Don, who had also stood up. "Go ahead, Honey. This case is important to you."

"Okay, but can you stay here until Sammy and Janie get back? Wayne and the twins should be here soon, and I'd like someone to be here when they get back."

"Sure thing, honey." He gave her a quick hug and a peck on the lips.

"Oh, one more thing," she said as she was heading out the door, "don't tell anyone about our engagement yet. Grace will kill me if she finds out that Wayne knows before her."

Don just laughed, and Jane practically pushed her out of the door. "See you later Don!" He called, and then closed the door with a slight bang.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They were in the car, driving toward their first destination _—_they had taken Jane's rental car since it had all of the paper work on the locations they were going to be visiting. Although it was Jane's car, Lisbon was still the one driving; she knew the town and surrounding area better than he did, and it would be easier for her to find the hospitals they were looking for. She could feel him looking at her, but she didn't want to be the first one to speak. Eventually, she couldn't take the silence any more.

"You could have called, Jane," she said, quickly glancing over at him.

"I didn't have your number," he said.

"Liar."

They were quiet for a few more minutes. Jane was the one to speak first this time.

"Why did you say yes? I could tell you were thinking about saying no."

"I was not. I was just a little surprised, that's all."

"Why? I told you he was going to ask."

"Yes, well despite that, it still comes as a shock when someone proposes to you. I was just a little nervous."

Once again, they fell into silence.

"Does Janie like him?" He asked, so quietly that she almost wasn't sure he had said anything at all.

"Of course she likes him. I wouldn't marry a guy that my daughter didn't like."

"What about all of your friends? What do they think about him?"

Lisbon hesitated slightly, "They like him too." She said.

"Now who's lying?"

"What do you want from me, Jane? Why are you so insistent on making me out to be the bad guy?"

"I'm not trying to make you the bad guy, Teresa."

She looked over at him, "Why did you call me that?"

"Eyes on the road. Call you what?"

"You called me by my first name. You've _never_ called me by my first name."

"There was that one time." She could feel her cheeks start to get hot.

"That doesn't count. Now just answer the question."

"I wanted to get your attention." They were pulling into the hospital parking lot now, and Lisbon just looked at him.

"What's the name of the first person on the list?" she asked, effectively ending the conversation they had been having.

Jane wanted to push the subject, but knew that if he did she would just shut him out even more. "We have two at this hospital. A Cesar Ramirez and a John Doe."

They walked into the hospital and up to the information desk. After introducing themselves, they were told that a representative from the hospital would be right with them to show them to the rooms of the men on their list.

"This shouldn't take very long," Lisbon told the hospital representative as they walked toward the first room. "We should be able to tell pretty quickly if either one of these men could be the one we're looking for."

"I don't understand why we couldn't do this over the phone." The hospital representative looked slightly put out at having to lead them around.

"This is much more effective," said Jane. "We are able to observe the men in person; we can notice things that may tip us off as to a possible connection."

They were at the room of Cesar Ramirez and a quick look inside told Jane that this wasn't the person they were looking for. He was much too young, and far too large, to be Red John. The second room they stopped at was for the John Doe.

"What's that smell?" Lisbon asked as they approached the room.

"That, I believe, is your John Doe. We're pretty sure he's a homeless man," the hospital representative said.

They looked in the room and nearly gagged due to the smell. "He's been here since last night. We've changed his clothes, bathed him, and we still can't get rid of the smell. We're going to have to disinfect this room when he's gone."

"No way is this him," Lisbon said. "We would have smelled him at the crime scene."

Jane agreed, and they left the hospital disappointed. "Maybe the others got a hit?" He sounded hopeful, but still doubtful.

"Why don't you give them a call then? I have to check on Janie." Lisbon responded as they walked to the car.

They both made their calls; Janie was fine, and Van Pelt and Cho hadn't found anything. They got back into the car and drove back to Lisbon's house in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When they pulled up to Lisbon's house, there was no parking for Jane's rental car. On top of the beach-goers cars that were parked illegally on the street, Don's car was still in the drive way and a minivan was pulled in closely behind it, almost hanging out into the road. "I think Wayne's here. Thanks for the ride, Jane." Lisbon quickly jumped out of the car, hoping that he would just drive off and not find a different place to park.

She went into the house, calling out to Janie that she was home.

"MOMMY!" her daughter yelled, jumping up from where she had been playing on the floor with a little red headed boy and girl. Lisbon crouched to the floor and gave her daughter a hug.

"How was dance class?" she asked, kissing her forehead.

"Julie got sick all over the floor again. Mrs. Jones said that she thinks she gets too nervous dancing by herself. She gave Sammy some papers for you to sign. Uncle Wayne's here, Mommy, did you see him?"

Lisbon couldn't help but laugh, "No, not yet, Honey. Go play and I'll see if I can find him, okay?" She stood up and watched her daughter go back to playing with the twins. She then walked toward the kitchen, the logical place they would be. She was surprised to hear a familiar voice coming from inside the kitchen.

"How the hell did you get back here so fast?" she asked before even announcing her presence; it was her house after all.

"I parked in the street. What took you so long? You were in the house before I parked the car." Jane flashed his ever-present smile at her and Lisbon just rolled her eyes.

"I stopped to say hello to my daughter." She turned to Rigsby as if just noticing him for the first time. "How was the trip? Should I bother telling Grace that it took you three hours less than it should have to get here?"

"No, you do not need to tell her." Rigsby paused for a second and then said "So, Jane was telling me that you have some news."

Lisbon glared at him, but he avoided her gaze. "Yea, I wanted to tell Grace first, but it seems that Jane didn't want to wait."

"So, let me see." Wayne said, reaching for her left hand to look at the ring. He really had become domesticated since getting married and having children.

Lisbon held up her hand to show the ring that had been placed there earlier. The ring was a simple gold solitaire, not too large, and not too small. Not a ring she would have picked, but it was all right.

"That's nice." Rigsby said, not very convincingly.

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that, it's just not what I would have picked out for you."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not marrying you." Lisbon responded with a chuckle. They were chatting in the kitchen when Lisbon's phone rang.

"Lisbon," she said into the phone as she stepped out on the patio to answer.

"_Hey, Boss. It's Cho. We've got a promising lead at the hospital the next town over."_

"Two things: one, I'm not your boss any more, and two, why are you calling me?"

"_Marley is an ass. And Jane's there. We knew that he'd want to know that Van Pelt and I found him."_

"Really?" Lisbon looked over her shoulder and saw Jane coming out onto the patio. She looked at him and gave him a look that she hoped conveyed the news to him.

"_The guy's as good as admitted it. He's in bad shape. Jane needs to get here."_

"I'll let him know." She hung up the phone without saying good bye and turned to face Jane.

"They found him." Jane said, not waiting for her to talk first.

"Yeah, hospital the next town over. I guess he's in pretty bad shape."

"I need—"

"I know." They stood on the patio, not touching, the silence looming between them.

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." Lisbon sighed. "This is what you've been living for. Just don't do anything stupid." She looked at him one more time before going back into the house, knowing that he would know where to find Cho and Van Pelt, where to find Red John.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note:** We're nearing an end. after this we've only got 2 chapters and an epilogue.

**Chapter 8**

The sky was darkening as Jane drove towards the hospital, his mind heavy. He'd dreamed about this day for so long. Was it possible that they were really this close? It seemed impossible. At the same time, he wasn't sure what to do. Lisbon had been right when she said that he wouldn't have given up his quest for revenge for her and Janie. But as he got closer to the hospital, he wasn't sure.

Since his wife and daughter had died, he'd lived for only one thing, and even at that, it had been a half life. Sleeping at work, living case-to-case, begging for scraps from everyone involved with Red John. It hadn't been much, but it was what he was used to. But five years ago there had been a change.

A disastrous case had left several people dead and the team in tatters; he'd been as close to ending it all as he'd been when his wife died. The only reason he made it out alive – the only reason any of them had survived to work together again – was because of Lisbon. She'd held them all together, had been there for him more than the others, comforting him in the one way he didn't know he needed. They'd grown closer, but he'd still kept her at arm's length, not wanting anything to come between him and Red John.

She hadn't – not really, of course – but now he wasn't so sure. He kept seeing her as she looked on the beach, shock on her face, when he'd seen her just that afternoon. It was as if no time had passed. And then there was Janie, her sweet smile and golden curls. He hadn't even known she existed before today, and yet he already felt a connection to her.

He pulled into the parking lot at the hospital, thoughts of revenge swirling in his mind with the images of Janie and Lisbon. He'd waited so long, and now that it was here, he wasn't even sure what he was going to do. In his fantasies, they'd always been alone, in a warehouse or abandoned building of some sort. Occasionally he even fantasized about getting Red John alone at his home in Malibu, but those dreams were few and far between. Jane had always had a knife, sometimes a gun as well, but he didn't care for those. He knew that a knife was really the way to go with Red John; it was only fair. He'd imagined the way that it would feel to sink a knife up to its hilt in Red John's gut so many times; it was as if he'd already done it.

But this scenario, a hospital, clean and sterile, was not what Jane had in mind. There were too many people around. And if Red John was in as bad a shape as Van Pelt had said, then he may not even have a chance to be alone with him. And truth be told, now that the opportunity was here to meet his nemeses face to face, he wasn't sure if he could kill him. Not if Janie and Lisbon were involved. And while at one point in time he'd been more than willing to throw Lisbon under the bus for his quest, that wasn't an option any longer now that she had a daughter, a daughter with her same vibrant green eyes.

He made his way slowly to the front desk, asking where the CBI agents were. He could have called Cho or Van Pelt, but this was easier. It gave him more time to think without anyone else trying to talk him out of it. After receiving an answer from the hospital volunteer direction him toward the ICU, he slowly made his way to the hallway indicated. It seemed to him the longest walk of his life, choices looming before him and no idea of what to do. There was a gnawing in the pit of his stomach that was odd and unusual for him, something that he hadn't felt in ages; almost a nervous, anxious, nauseous feeling. He almost stopped at the bathroom he passed along the way, the urge to vomit was that strong, but he swallowed the lump forming in his throat and forged on. It was easy to tell when he'd gotten to the ICU – the signs helped, of course, but so did the stern Asian man standing in the doorway.

"So, you think it's him?" Jane said without greeting.

"Well, either that, or he's a convincing liar."

"How's that?"

"He only said one thing when we walked in the room."

"What was that?"

"'I am Red John.'"


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Note: **Oops. Promised this last night then I fell asleep. Hope you all enjoy.

**Chapter 9**

Jane stood staring in the window of the room in which Red John – or Chris Johnson, as he'd checked in as – lay. He faintly heard the discussion of Van Pelt and Cho behind him; Van Pelt was going to leave, Cho could babysit Jane. Normally he would have bristled at having to be babysat, but he didn't even notice now.

He couldn't really see the man in the bed, though the form moved occasionally, twitching as if unable to control his movements. Jane wasn't sure what he was waiting for. Cho had informed him that the doctors said that Red John had, in addition to the knife wound in his side, advanced stages of throat cancer that had left him in pain and with limited ability to talk.

Red John was a dying man. Somehow knowing this took the drive out of Jane. He took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open.

The man in the bed turned slightly to look at him.

"I knew you'd find me, Mr. Jane." A voice rasped out.

It took all he had for Jane not to gasp. This was not the man he had been expecting. Even his one run-in with Red John before had led him to view the serial killer as a strong, powerful character. But this poor creature lying in the bed before him was anything but that. He was thin – thinner than was safe – his skin a pale, unhealthy color, and his cheeks sunken. He was the picture of a dying man.

"This somehow doesn't seem fitting; tracking you down because you became weak and careless."

"Not careless."

"You let someone get a drop on you; you're losing your touch." Jane could still feel the butterflies in his stomach; they were growing as they talked.

Red John coughed a horrible, raspy cough that shook his whole body. "Who says I made a mistake?"

Jane stared at him for a moment as thoughts tumbled around in his head. It had all been too easy. "Are you giving up?"

There was a horrible chuckle.

"Never, Mr. Jane." The pitiful figure straightened the oxygen tubes leading into his nose and spoke again. "I've simply spun a web with which to catch you."

Jane waited, not saying anything. He knew there would be more.

"I've been living in the tiny hamlet of Seagull for the past three years, Mr. Jane. I moved here when I got sick – the salty air, you see, does a wonder for my throat and lungs. Imagine my surprise when the first day out on the beach, I saw a woman who looked so familiar with a baby who looked equally familiar. So much like her mother, and so much like her father. I didn't approach them that day – you never know who might be watching – but I did watch. I watched as the young beauty learned to walk, and talk. I watched as everyone came to visit but you."

Jane's heart skipped a beat. He felt a bit of panic rising, but knew that there was nothing that Red john could do. Nothing that he could do sick, lying in this hospital bed, dying.

"It took me a while to find someone, to pick the right person. I've had people in the past, people who've wanted to be like me, wanted to become me. But I needed someone special. You've met a few of my… associates in the past. Dumar, Stiles, but they lacked the one thing that is most important in a serial killer: placid normality and inner insanity. I finally found him. In a mundane job that he didn't loath, but didn't love. And a love life that left something to be desired."

Jane's breath quickened. His mind was struggling to keep up with the scratchy voice. There was no way that Red John meant what he thought he did. No way that he could be talking about who he thought he was.

"And it was just yesterday I put my plan in motion. I knew that I was going into that house to die. Into that house to face my last love. But that was all right, because I knew that you would come. That Lisbon would be the first of a new crop."

"No."

"Oh yes, Mr. Jane. Oh yes." Red John smiled, an evil, wicked smile that sent a chill through Jane's body. "Better run, Mr. Jane. Wouldn't want you to miss this one."

The color drained from Jane's face as Red John's words sank in. He turned, fleeing the room, pushing past Cho, ignoring the questions and shouts sent after him as he tore down the hallway. He had to get back there; he had to get back to Lisbon. The only sound he heard as he disappeared down the hall was the maniacal, grating laughter coming from the room he'd just left.


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note: **I don't usually do this, but I will be replying to reviews from the last chapter here in just a minute. Life, you know how that goes. On the bright side, there is only the epilogue after this. Do enjoy, sorry for keeping you all waiting so long :)

**Chapter 10**

The drive seemed to take twice as long as it had before. He didn't notice speed limits or stop signs; it was a miracle he made it to Lisbon's house alive. There were no lights on the street. Rigsby's minivan was still parked in front, and so was Lisbon's car. There was a vague thought in the back of his head that he should call Cho, let him know what was going on, but that thought vanished almost as soon as it had appeared.

All Jane could think of was another night much like this, with a view of the beach and a quiet, dark house. He eased open the front door, careful not to make a sound; he didn't want to make any mistakes. He waited for a second for his eyes to adjust to the dim light inside the house, as only the moon filtering through the windows provided light.

He noticed the large form that was Rigsby lying on the floor near the bottom of the stairs. Jane bent down and felt for a pulse on his neck, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when he felt a strong beat beneath his fingers.

Jane stood slowly, making his way carefully up the stairs. He fought the flood of emotions that came crashing down on him as he replayed the only other time he'd made this walk, but this time he knew what waited up the stairs. A woman that he loved, but denied it, and his only living daughter. He refused to think of the alternative.

As he reached the top, he heard speaking; a man's voice, one that he recognized. Jane knew he hadn't liked Don, and now he knew why. His first impression usually was right. But before going into the room that he knew to be Lisbon's, he crept down the hallway to the bedroom with a pink princess crown on it. He held his breath as he opened the door and almost cried out when he saw Janie sleeping soundly in her bed, her tiny chest rising and falling rhythmically. He noticed the twins sleeping on mats on the floor next to her and carefully eased the door shut so as not to wake them.

He went to the room next to Janie's, hurrying in and quietly shaking the woman lying in the bed. "Sammy. Sammy, wake up."

She startled awake in the bed, gasping. Jane put his hand over her mouth to quiet her. "Shh, don't talk." He whispered in her ear. "It's Patrick Jane. We met this morning."

When she nodded he removed his hand. "I need you to get the kids out of the house as quietly as you can. Don't ask questions. Be careful – don't let the twins see Rigsby at the bottom of the stairs. He's okay; he's just going to have a killer headache in the morning." Sammy nodded and Jane continued. "When you are all out of the house, call Van Pelt and Cho. Do you have their numbers?"

She shook her head no. Jane pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Take my phone. Don't make any noise. It's very important that no one hears you."

"I'll take them down through the kitchen." She whispered quietly. Jane nodded and again crept to the door of Lisbon's room. There was a light coming from under the door. The same voice still talking. Jane put his hand on the knob and turned slowly, easing the door open a crack, hoping that the man inside wouldn't hear him or see him.

"There you are, Teresa, finally awake." The voice was Don's, but it had taken on an evil tone. "I didn't think I'd given you as much as Rigsby, but I guess you're just smaller than I thought."

Jane heard a muddled sound and guessed that Lisbon must have her mouth gagged, stopping what was sure to be a sarcastic comeback. He still couldn't see anything and decided to run the risk of pushing the door open just a bit further.

"I bet you're wondering what I'm doing." From the grunt that Lisbon produced Jane was pretty sure she wasn't. "Two years ago, I met a man, a man who was so much like me. He told me about the joys that life can afford someone living above the law. He introduced me to you from afar, but that part's not important. What's important is the training."

Jane nudged the door again. He could see the refection of Don in the mirror above Lisbon's dresser and felt his stomach drop at the change in him. Don's face was flushed as if he'd been running a marathon and his eyes shone with a wicked glint. He could just see the edge of the bed, but not Lisbon.

"Last night, my mentor went to his death. He knew he would not survive much more than a few days past his last hurrah, and I was to take over for him. He told me all about your friend Patrick. About what he did to his wife, about what you meant to him. This seemed the best way to start out."

Jane noticed that the knife Don held was loose in his hand; he was pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Jane took the risk and pushed the door open slightly more. He could see Lisbon on the bed now. He caught her gaze and noticed the slightly panicked look in her eyes.

He realized that he didn't have anything with which to fight Don, but that wasn't important. He waited until Don had his back fully to the door before pushing it open completely and rushing in, knocking Don to the ground, the knife falling from his hand with a dull thump as it hit the carpet.

Don was stronger than Jane realized and was able to roll them over so that Don was on top. He brought up his fist to strike Jane in the head. Once, twice, three times before Jane was able to get his hands between them and push him off.

Jane reached behind him to where the knife had fallen and groped for it, bringing it around to the front as Don rushed at him. Jane kept the knife pointed outward as Don lunged at him, falling on to the knife and Jane. A yell split the air as the knife cut into the soft flesh of Don's stomach.

He pulled backwards, and Jane let go of the knife, keeping it in Don's gut. Don looked down at his front, seeing the blood that was pouring out around the wound.

"I don't believe it...," was all he said before falling to his knees and then onto his face. Jane sat in shock for a few moment s before jumping up and turning to the bed where Lisbon lay tied up, unable to do more than move her head from side to side. He untied her hands first and then her feet, while she pulled the gag from her mouth.

"Jane." She said, her voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry," was all he managed to say before pulling her close and resting back on the bed, holding on to her for dear life.

He heard a sound on the stairs but chose to ignore it. A gun appeared in the doorway of Lisbon's room, followed quickly by Van Pelt and Cho who holstered their weapons. Cho knelt to check Don's pulse and Van Pelt came over to the bed.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was full of concern, but it was unclear who she was asking.

"I think we will be." Jane said, not moving from where he and Lisbon were holding on to each other.

Jane closed his eyes to the movement in the room as more police officers came in and paramedics arrived to work on Don. He rocked Lisbon back and forth as she began to cry silent tears.

"Never again." He whispered for only her to hear. "I will never leave you again."


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors Note: **SO I was almost asleep when I realized that it's been ages since I posted the last chapter and I still needed to get the epilogue up for this little gem of mine. Oops. I totally spaced it in amongst real life and all that. But, school is going decent,I'm technically NOT failing any classes, but it's still a bit iffy. Anyone know any thing about cognition that they'd like to share? Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read this little story of mine, and thanks to every one who reviewed. Sorry I took so long at it.

**Epilogue**

The sun was shining, and the waves were crashing on the beach as Jane watched three young children playing in the sand. It had been a week since Don had tried to become the next Red John. And yet, it seemed like a million years had passed. He'd been spending time with Lisbon and Janie since then. He hadn't left, as he'd promised.

He hadn't realized how closely behind him Cho had been when he'd left the hospital, and by the time Sammy had made it outside with the children and called Van Pelt and Cho, they were already almost to the house. Had Jane waited just sixty seconds before going into Lisbon's room, they would have been there. He wouldn't have had to kill a man. But he had. And he'd do it again.

"Stop thinking so hard; you're hurting my brain just looking at you." Jane jumped, startled that Lisbon had come up beside him without him hearing.

"I'm not thinking hard, just thinking." He turned to smile at her before returning his gaze to the group playing in the sand.

"I'm not moving."

"I didn't ask you too. But really? I killed a man in your bedroom."

"I can change the carpet."

"The view is amazing."

"And Janie doesn't even know what happened."

"Does she miss Don?"

"No, she never really liked him. She was nice to him – she's nice to everyone – but she never really liked him. Not like she likes you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here from the beginning."

"It's okay. What matters is that you're here now." They stood in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "What did it feel like?"

"What?"

"You've been living for revenge for so long. What was it like when you first met him?"

"He was such a sad, pathetic man. Nothing like I'd imagined. There was just something about seeing him sick and dying in that hospital bed that made me realize that it wasn't important any more. Look what almost happened because of my quest!"

"But it's over now. It's not going to happen again."

"No, it's not." Jane reached out and grasped her left hand, fingering the ring that he'd placed there just that morning. They weren't going to rush in, but Jane wanted to prove to her that he meant what he said. He wasn't going to leave her again; he wasn't going to let her leave. He was going to be with her, forever.

scarlet shore


End file.
